David J. Barton
Accenture Federal Services has won a Department of Homeland Security contract to help the Office of Health Affairs enhance its “biosurveillance” capabilities using social media analytics.
Work under the one-year $3 million contract will include managing, linking and analyzing data from social media networks to better inform and protect citizens in a national health emergency.
Accenture will create a pilot program that will utilize data from social media sites to help OHA respond in real time to potential crises, such as an infectious disease outbreak or a biological attack.
“Social media platforms are now an everyday part of peoples' lives, finding their way into all forms of communication,” said John Matchette, Accenture's public safety agency work lead.
“Rapidly collecting and understanding what information is being shared will help OHA meet its mission to detect and respond to potential threats to national health security,“ he added.
(Click Here to read about David Moskovitz’s appointment as the new CEO of Accenture’s federal business.)
According to the company statement, “biosurveillance” is the monitoring of public health information as it becomes available over social media.
